Infectious Disease Surveillance 2014 Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
Data Collection
Surveillance data for HIV to the end of calendar year 2014 were analyzed. The number of tests, new case reports, HIV prevalence, and treatment uptake were reported via the CSC Infectious Disease Surveillance System (IDSS) (to the end of 2012) and via the enhanced web-enabled WebIDSS for 2013 and 2014.
Analysis and Results
HIV Testing and Diagnosis
HIV testing among new admissions increased steadily from 37% in 2000 to 78% in 2014. Follow up HIV testing uptake among inmates during incarceration has remained fairly stable since 2007 and was 20% in 2014 (see Figure 1).
Newly Diagnosed HIV Cases
The number of newly diagnosed cases (where the previous status was negative or unknown) and the diagnostic yield (rate per 1,000 tests) is shown in Table 1. In 2014 there were 5 (1.3/1,000 tests) and 5 (1.7/1,000 tests) newly diagnosed HIV cases among new admissions and the general inmate population respectively.
2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
On admission | 9 (3.6) |
8 (2.8) |
4 (1.4) |
8 (2.3) |
9 (2.3) |
11 (2.5) |
8 (2.0) |
5 (1.3) |
While Incarcerated | 8 (2.3) |
6 (1.9) |
8 (2.6) |
4 (1.3) |
13 (3.8) |
8 (2.5) |
5 (1.5) |
5 (1.7) |
HIV Prevalence
The number of HIV cases and HIV point-prevalence increased slightly between 2004 (188 cases and 1.43%, respectively) and 2007 (253 cases and 2.02%, respectively) before decreasing to 170 cases, or 1.19%, in 2014 (Figure 2). The point prevalence varied by gender; prevalence among women was generally two to three times higher than that among men, peaking in 2007 with 6.02% and decreasing to 2.49% in 2014 (compared to 1.87% in 2007 and 1.14% in 2014 among men).
HIV Treatment
Between 2007 and 2014, the majority of HIV-positive inmates were on therapy (see Table 2). Consistent with recent move to “treatment as prevention”, the proportion of CSC inmates known to have HIV infection on treatment was 91% in 2014.
2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Proportion of inmates with HIV on HAART | 55% | 65% | 57% | 63% | 77% | 84% | 90% | 91% |
Summary
Testing for HIV on admission and throughout incarceration continues to be an important public health function. The majority of HIV cases (85%) are aware of their status or are diagnosed at admissionFootnote 1. The overall trend in annual HIV prevalence since 2007 indicates a decline in HIV prevalence to 1.19% in 2014 but female offenders continue to have a higher prevalence of HIV compared to men. The year-end HIV prevalence estimates are consistent with the estimated period prevalence 2005-2012 (1.76%)Footnote 2. Consistent with community trends of “treatment as prevention” HIV treatment uptake among inmates in CSC has increased to more than 90% in 2014.
Footnotes
- Footnote 1
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Health Services Quick Facts: HIV: Age, Gender and Aboriginal Ancestry. CSC 2016
- Footnote 2
-
Ibid
- Date modified :
- 2016-10-24